A Running Start
by LilyGhost
Summary: As Stephanie counts on making a quick getaway, Ranger's already a step ahead of her to prevent one. A Ranger POV story.


**This story is the result of not looking away fast enough from a writing prompt that asked ... '**_**Who **__**are you running from?**_**' and answered ... '**_**You**_**.' All familiar characters and events are Janet's. The mistakes are solely mine. **

It was almost funny the way Stephanie's body went still before she physically willed it to relax so it couldn't give away what she's currently feeling. Bobby had stopped by my office and told me that she appeared distracted all day. I'd intended to find out exactly what's going on with her tonight, but when I just _happened_ to notice her all but bolting out of her cubby the second the clock flipped to five and her workday officially ended, I took the stairs and beat the elevator down to the garage.

"What are you running from, Babe?" I called out from behind her before her neck tingle could give me away.

She jumped and then muttered without thinking … "_You_."

Unfortunately for her, I heard her answer.

I watched what little color she had in her face, drain out of it when she realized I was close enough to have caught what she'd said.

"You didn't mean to admit that, did you?" I asked her, feeling more pleased with this encounter with every second that passes.

I purposely closed in on her and leaned back against her car, crossing my arms over my chest like I have the entire evening to kill. If she wants to leave, she'll have to touch me or talk to me in order to do it. I'd warned her in the past not to give information to the enemy, and she had just given me exactly what I've been waiting for.

"_Steph _..."

"I have to go," she told me, looking panicked at the thought of having to get through me to reach the safety of her vehicle.

"Alright," I said, sounding deceptively agreeable. "I'll take you wherever you need to be."

She didn't say them out loud, but I could almost hear the string of curses she was shouting internally. "You're not letting this or me go, are you?"

I switched tactics to get faster results. "I'm not going to hold you here against your will, but I was hoping that if something is making you this upset, you'd be willing to talk to me about it so we can get it resolved. Brown is also concerned. He said during your time - and takedown - with him today, you were there ... but not."

"I have a lot on my mind right now. That's all."

"I've got time. Start talking."

"I don't think ..."

"If you're this jumpy about something that appears to involve me, I need to know about it."

"_Need _to know? Or just _want _to?"

"I _need_, Babe. You now that."

The double entendre had her color returning ... and in a more pinkish hue than it had started.

"What happened?" I prompted. "Is your mother or Morelli talking shit about you or me again?"

A little bit of her nerves dissipated and she even tried out a smile. "Oddly enough ... it's not either of them this time. I think Joe finally got that I'd been serious when I told him to call Terri or Joyce if he wants to annoy a female. He didn't seem to like it when weeks ago I suggested he go on a dating app and type in '_immature, self-centered, verbally-abusive, bully ... seeks a uterus with feet and hands but no mouth_', in his profile so he can have babies and dinner made for him while not having to listen to anyone else's input on either one. And I've been so busy with work here, and Ella bribing me with brownies and coffee cake to get me to stay for awhile after work just to talk, I haven't made it out to the Burg. I think I forgot what the inside of Tasty Pastry looks like."

"Best news I've heard this week. Nothing good happened in that place except for the kiss we shared. So why were you hauling ass to get out of here today when you've been staying later on purpose?" I asked her, wondering how I fit into this escape of hers.

"I really should get going ..."

"Babe."

She sighed and paused long enough for me to believe she's going to try to avoid answering.

She surprised me when she did speak. "Lucille kicked Vinnie out of the house again and he was in a major snit. Since he was forced to sleep in his office, he decided he should call me at six-freakin'-o'five this morning to bitch me out again for dumping him to work full-time for you. I was awake almost two hours before I had to clock in here because of the weasel, and it gave me too much time to think."

"_About ...?_"

"He asked me why I'd choose to work here rather than for family. I told him it was the steady and much larger paychecks. Not to mention, I'm actually respected here and likely won't get killed or left stranded on a job ... since the guys are terrified they'll be next if I get hurt on their watch. But I realized that while all those reasons _are _true, that's not why I took you up on your offer to broaden my career-horizons."

"_I'm _the reason you're here," I stated, not asked.

She found the underground garage's cement floor fascinating as she simply said ..."Yup."

"Stephanie ... look at me."

It took a second, but I did feel the impact of her eyes as she raised them to collide, _unflinchingly _I'm proud to say, with mine.

"Why did you finally agree to work for me?" I asked, definitely _needing _to know, but also really wanting to.

"Because I like hanging out with the guys now that I've gotten to know them and see just how fun, not scary they really are ..."

"_Why_?" I pressed. "And to save time, I already know you love Ella's baking skills, having your own parking space close to the building's entrance, and getting a snow detail where one of my men shovels your fleet vehicle out whenever it snows, so let's skip those things and jump to what's really important."

"Hey! Those _are _important. They're major perks and are constant incentive to not get myself fired."

"But?"

"But ... it hit me this morning that I basically took this job just to be closer to you and to put myself smack dab in the middle of your world."

"That's also why I wanted you here," I admitted. "My goal was to have you be what my days revolve around."

That confession had her relaxing even more. She may not be comfortable sharing her feelings, but she knows she's not alone in doing so.

"I'd guessed that," she said. "For some reason, you like me ... "

"Not _like_, Babe, I _love _you. And there's more than a hundred reasons why I do."

"How do you do that?" She asked, appearing heartbreakingly serious now.

"Do what?"

"Just say you love someone and not stress out about it being put out there."

"I don't feel the need to hide my feelings for you. I can't make you return them, but I still want you to know that you always have someone in your corner who's watching out for and loving you."

"That's what sunk in after I hung up on Vinnie. I've spent more time than I want to admit, wondering how you could give your feelings away without expecting anything in return. Then it struck me like a 2X4, that's exactly why I chose to work here. Even if _we _never happen, I wanted to be here ... _be close to you … _anyway."

"I told you a long time ago that the ball is in _your _court. _WE _were always up to you."

"So ... if I want to be more than a Rangeman employee, Ella's estrogen-buddy, and Bobby's snack-provider, all I have to do is say so?"

"Yes. Are you telling me that you're ready for us to happen?"

Again with a pause and then another ..."_Yup_."

"You love me, don't you?"

"Yes. Ten minutes ago I was scared spitless of just how much I love, want, and need, you."

"And now?" I asked.

"Now I'm calling myself a total idiot for waiting so long to admit it."

I gave her a wolf grin and reached out for her. But for the first time ... she took a huge step away from me. Her brown curls moved side to side in the negative, her pony tail shaking under the force of her head-quake. But her backing off wasn't for the reasons I feared.

"I'm not kissing you here," she told me. "The guys could be watching. I'd never hear the end of them having actual footage of me making out with 'The Boss'."

"No problem. _I'll _kiss _you _instead."

She tensed when I pulled her close, but before I slanted my mouth across hers like I've been desperate to do, I stopped teasing her and put her mind at ease.

"I scrambled the cameras as soon as I stepped out of the stairwell, Steph. They can speculate all they want, but no proof will exist to confirm whatever they think or say. I can just hit their 'Off' buttons with my fist if you'd prefer. I've found that it's an effective way to curb coffee pot-gossip."

That's all she needed to hear to feel comfortable with being this close to me. She caught my jaw in one hand, hooked my midsection with her free arm, and reeled me in the remaining inches separating our bodies so mine would be in-line with her lips. The way she immediately melted into me showed that she had just given herself permission to love me ... and she isn't running anymore.


End file.
